Home >  Local News

Friday, March 21, 2003

By Joe Grata, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

The Port Authority has released details of a two-level emergency evacuation plan for Downtown, where nearly half of all people at any given time use public transit.

Level 1 would be a voluntary evacuation, such as occurred in Pittsburgh after the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001. Buses would operate at as close to rush-hour levels as possible, and use the same stops, but they would stick to main roads. All available light-rail vehicles would be pressed into service, and the subway would remain open.

Level 2 would be a mandatory evacuation, implemented in an extreme emergency. Buses would pick up riders only at five locations on the perimeter of the Downtown business district, then ferry them to other designated stops outside the city. Once everybody is out of the city, the buses would return to the satellite stops and take people the rest of the way home on regular routes.

The subway would stay open as long as possible, but if it were closed and inaccessible, buses would take people to South Hills Junction, where they would board outbound trolleys.

"We've had phone calls and folks stopping into authority offices asking questions about what they should do in case of a mandatory evacuation," authority spokeswoman Judi McNeil said. "The plan was developed after 9/11 but never released to the public until now."

Authority officials are releasing the plan in the wake of the ongoing U.S. military action in Iraq and after this week's news conference in which Mayor Tom Murphy and Allegheny County Chief Executive Jim Roddey discussed local security efforts.

The Port Authority developed the plan in conjunction with city and county emergency management officials to move people safely out of the central business district.

By next week, "take-one" cards will be available throughout the transit system so riders can keep printed information about evacuation plans handy.

Here's the Port Authority plan, based on direction of evacuation:

East 1 -- Travel will be via East Busway, with all riders dropped off at the Wallace Ramp/Wilkinsburg park-n-ride lot.

East 2 -- Travel will be via Center, Forbes and Fifth avenues. Drop-off will be at the football stadium on the Carnegie Mellon University campus.

North -- Travel will be via express routes. Drop-off at Giant Eagle on Camp Horne Road.

South -- Travel will be via South Busway and Second Avenue. Drop-off along South Busway at Whited Street.

West -- Travel will be via the Fort Pitt Bridge or West End Bridge and utilize the West Busway. Drop-off at Crafton-Ingram Shopping Center.

Light rail -- Subway will remain open as long as possible. Drop-offs at high-level platform stations only.